Does anyone tour with a cat?

[Nick555]

We have an indoor cat who we would like to take with us once we get our Campervan. (We do have a plan b).

After months of looking, my wife found a reinforced mesh that's possible suitable to seal off the lounge when we are out of the van. This would protect from opening the hab door, puss get spooked & makes a run for it. Meaning we could open the hab door, step in, close the door & unhook the netting/mesh, then cuddles all around.

Any better ideas welcome!

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

We were once on a meet and a funster had a cat in a harness.with a lead. A dog in another van barked and the cat pulled out of the harness backwards and ran off into a nearby field,never to be seen again. The funster whi lost the cat contacted the local cat people and notices went up etc,they left food out but to no avail.
Just a warning if your taking a cat make sure it's a really good harness.

 

[Nick555]

Good point, but I wouldn't use a harness. This is a mesh separating the rear lounge for when we are driving or when we are away from the van.

 

[jollyrodger]

Our last cat of 17yrs use to travel with us since a kitten.
Loved traveling in top bunk, or on rear parcel shelf. Would wander off and do her own thing and would come back to a whistle.
Loved to sit and wind up dogs who where on a tether.

Sadly the two we have now leg it when trying to get them anywhere.,except AfTER a visit to the vet, they jump back into the cat basket on their own

 

[meanders]

We take two. They don't now attempt to get out although we keep the door shut. One did get out under the slide aside mesh flyscreen at Hylands Park pre pandemic as some will remember.

They travel in baskets but once pitched prefer the overcab bed.

These are the second pair of cats we have motorhomed with and they have all preferred to be with us, than having someone become in to feed them at home.

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[Two on Tour]

Jev88 and PP Bear also travel with their cats, and can maybe give some advice.

 

[Janine]

There are 4 cats and 2 dogs currently in the van next to me. I am not going to knock on their door and ask how the manage

 

[Two on Tour]

One did get out under the slide aside mesh flyscreen at Hylands Park pre pandemic as some will remember.

Arrr yes the great hunt the cat in the hedge episode.

 

[Guigsy]

We've only done some long weekends with ours. They are a pair of FIV+ rescues, so indoor only. They are fine in the van. One of them is not good at the travelling part though.

EDIT: As insurance, they wear a Tractive GPS tracker and a Tile bluetooth tracker on their collars when they are in the van.

 

[LesW]

We take our cat everywhere with us, including Europe..

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[PP Bear]

We travel with our cat, he’s 12 years old and we rescued him skinny, bad teeth and in need of some tlc, which he gets daily. Now he’s a chubbier, far happier cat and almost jet black .

Like you, we were worried about taking him in the van, but there was little to worry about. Apart from the very first 5 mins when he complained a bit, we’ve been lucky and enjoy taking him with us. He gets all soppy and very loving when we’re away. We tried a harness but he wasn’t up for that, so SWMBO got a travel cage to use if needed. It collapses and easily stored under one of the sofas.

We’ve not had to put up mesh, screens or anything, as he simply chills while we’re away from the van. On return one of us looks through the back window, see him chilling on the bed and the other pops inside, no problems. We’ve an over cab bed, so that’s his favourite spot now and will only come down when he’s busting for a piddle.

Guess we’re lucky with him and enjoy taking him away, including an extended trip in the van, then onto the narrowboat and back on the van. He was amazed by the ducks and swans .

Take piccys and let us know how it goes

 

[Nanniemate]

We have an indoor cat who we would like to take with us once we get our Campervan. (We do have a plan b).

After months of looking, my wife found a reinforced mesh that's possible suitable to seal off the lounge when we are out of the van. This would protect from opening the hab door, puss get spooked & makes a run for it. Meaning we could open the hab door, step in, close the door & unhook the netting/mesh, then cuddles all around.

Any better ideas welcome!

Get a dog

Sorry could not resist

 

[Nanniemate]

We travel with our cat, he’s 12 years old and we rescued him skinny, bad teeth and in need of some tlc, which he gets daily. Now he’s a chubbier, far happier cat and almost jet black .

Like you, we were worried about taking him in the van, but there was little to worry about. Apart from the very first 5 mins when he complained a bit, we’ve been lucky and enjoy taking him with us. He gets all soppy and very loving when we’re away. We tried a harness but he wasn’t up for that, so SWMBO got a travel cage to use if needed. It collapses and easily stored under one of the sofas.

We’ve not had to put up mesh, screens or anything, as he simply chills while we’re away from the van. On return one of us looks through the back window, see him chilling on the bed and the other pops inside, no problems. We’ve an over cab bed, so that’s his favourite spot now and will only come down when he’s busting for a piddle.

Guess we’re lucky with him and enjoy taking him away, including an extended trip in the van, then onto the narrowboat and back on the van. He was amazed by the ducks and swans .

Take piccys and let us know how it goes

View attachment 622838View attachment 622840View attachment 622841View attachment 622842

its certainly not a dogs live looks like one very happy cat

 

[Nick555]

We take two. They don't now attempt to get out although we keep the door shut. One did get out under the slide aside mesh flyscreen at Hylands Park pre pandemic as some will remember.

They travel in baskets but once pitched prefer the overcab bed.

These are the second pair of cats we have motorhomed with and they have all preferred to be with us, than having someone become in to feed them at home.

Thank you. Ours is an indoor-only cat.

 

[Nick555]

We travel with our cat, he’s 12 years old and we rescued him skinny, bad teeth and in need of some tlc, which he gets daily. Now he’s a chubbier, far happier cat and almost jet black .

Like you, we were worried about taking him in the van, but there was little to worry about. Apart from the very first 5 mins when he complained a bit, we’ve been lucky and enjoy taking him with us. He gets all soppy and very loving when we’re away. We tried a harness but he wasn’t up for that, so SWMBO got a travel cage to use if needed. It collapses and easily stored under one of the sofas.

We’ve not had to put up mesh, screens or anything, as he simply chills while we’re away from the van. On return one of us looks through the back window, see him chilling on the bed and the other pops inside, no problems. We’ve an over cab bed, so that’s his favourite spot now and will only come down when he’s busting for a piddle.

Guess we’re lucky with him and enjoy taking him away, including an extended trip in the van, then onto the narrowboat and back on the van. He was amazed by the ducks and swans .

Take piccys and let us know how it goes

View attachment 622838View attachment 622840View attachment 622841View attachment 622842

Heehee, lovely contented puss!

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[Nick555]

We've only done some long weekends with ours. They are a pair of FIV+ rescues, so indoor only. They are fine in the van. One of them is not good at the travelling part though.
View attachment 622830

EDIT: As insurance, they wear a Tractive GPS tracker and a Tile bluetooth tracker on their collars when they are in the van.

Good tips about the trackers.

 

[Jev88]

Hi. Our two cats (brother and sister) were introduced to the MH when we first got one and it was parked outside the house whilst I brought it back to roadworthy condition. I took lots of opportunities to put them inside whilst I was working outside the van etc... and they really don't seem phased by the MH life at all. However, they are RagDoll breed and so are known for being quite placid and the nick-name "puppy-cats" does apply sometimes as they will follow us around the house and are happy so long as we are within site / smell / earshot I guess.
We use a collapsible travel crate (mesh sides with steel reinforcement around the perimeters) bought from The Range and this is anchored to a spare seat belt clip in the rear when in motion, folded flat and hidden when on site, or can be put outside in the Quest Screen House if needed. Another tip is this travel cage was often left around the house in different positions for them to explore and presumably mark with their own scent and we sometimes find them voluntarily sleeping in it in the day - hence it is not a surprise or shock when they are scooped up in the travel cage and deposited in the MH.
They have a slightly smaller litter tray under a bench seat and a self-refilling water bowl. If it was blistering heat then we would not leave them alone in the van but we are lucky that the RV has 3 "temperature activated" roof fans/vents along with two cooling mats (you know the type with a gel filling that wicks away body heat).
I made my own version for the old MH from a car radiator fan.

They get taken for a walk when conditions and sites permit it and we tend to go late evening when most dogs are not out and about (presumably the owners are having dinner). Lost count of how many times another dog walker starts to amble towards us and we have to politely wave and make sure they realise the big furry lump on my lead is a tom cat (they are quite big for cats). We tried at least 3 or 4 harnesses until we found ones that they and we liked and were not too much faff to take on and off.
Jormax windbreaks (vision type) have helped a lot now as they love to watch the world go by. The RV and old MH have mesh screens on all windows and the habitation door which little claws do damage a bit, but we are now experts at cutting a new sheet of mesh from a roll I got from B&Q and a tool to insert the rubber surround should they actually tear a real hole.

 

[Holly's mum]

We travel with our cat, he’s 12 years old and we rescued him skinny, bad teeth and in need of some tlc, which he gets daily. Now he’s a chubbier, far happier cat and almost jet black .

Like you, we were worried about taking him in the van, but there was little to worry about. Apart from the very first 5 mins when he complained a bit, we’ve been lucky and enjoy taking him with us. He gets all soppy and very loving when we’re away. We tried a harness but he wasn’t up for that, so SWMBO got a travel cage to use if needed. It collapses and easily stored under one of the sofas.

We’ve not had to put up mesh, screens or anything, as he simply chills while we’re away from the van. On return one of us looks through the back window, see him chilling on the bed and the other pops inside, no problems. We’ve an over cab bed, so that’s his favourite spot now and will only come down when he’s busting for a piddle.

Guess we’re lucky with him and enjoy taking him away, including an extended trip in the van, then onto the narrowboat and back on the van. He was amazed by the ducks and swans .

Take piccys and let us know how it goes

View attachment 622841

Puss doesn't look impressed that you dared to sleep in his bed

Gorgeous cat.

We saw several vans with cats when we were in France the past 3 weeks.

One of the guys had 2 cats that he had on long leads, so that they could head off and explore the trees where we were parked (it was very quiet), they were very wary of people if they got too close.

 

[Nanniemate]

I have really enjoyed this thread doggies seemed to rule but I think moggies could be making a move on motorhome domination

 

[faraway]

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[PP Bear]

Never would have believed that I’d get smitten by a cat cat, but here I am a cat dad and enjoy the company and fun they bring, they’r certainly unpredictable, that’s for sure.

We also have another cat whose a regular visit in the flat and thinks he lives here. He’s quite a character and the talk of the village, as he literally follows us around the village, without a lead, sits at the kerbs, comes to heal when I call him, never wanders off and is the most loving and intelligent cat I’ve ever seen.

He‘s been doing it since a kitten.

 

[Swifter]

I’ve seen a cat being walked on a lead at Brecon camc site last year . It was amusing to watch because the cat was all relaxed walking around and the dogs were going crazy trying to get to it.

 

[Dorwyn]

My son and his wife lived and worked in Europe and so were full-timers. His dog and cat knew no other life. The cat travelled happily on the dashboard, and when they stopped at the Services or wherever, the dog and cat would walk off nose to tail to investigate or whatever, and return quickly when called. Many photos were taken by other travellers.

 

[PP Bear]

This is us, watching tv

 

[royandsharont]

Nick555 We had a truly house cat, a Devon Rex, and when we started camping he travelled 25K miles, mainly on the continent, over the last 5 years of his life. At first we started with him in a fastened down folding metal travel cage but very early on he was fast asleep as we left the York CAMC site on his cushion. We left him there to see what he did and after a few 100m’s he woke up and sat on the side seat backs looking out of the windows, much to the delight of passing motorists. We continued to take the folding travel cage but he never used it again.

At first he once tried to come up to the cab whilst driving but we told him off and he never tried to get to the cab area ever again, I was concerned about him getting around my feet etc.

Generally he would travel, asleep, on a cushion on the side bench seat or sprawled out on the seat back of the window with the sun, often rolling off with a bang as we turned a sharper corner

He never tried to get outside but sat at the hab door fly screen letting us know he wanted to be outside with us in the sun. He never put his paws on the ground but preferred his own chair to our lap, standing up to indicate he was over hot and wanted to be back inside again.

He was happy to be left alone in his travel home whilst we were out until his tea time when he would sit in the window looking for us from about 1700 onwards.

He preferred us to be inside the van in an evening where he would spend the night mainly on my lap until we sent him off to bed in his igloo basket.

Yes he was pretty well trained, from a very early age, to certain instructions even down to being told to use the litter tray at stoppages during the travelling day He has travelled back & forth to Murcia before the van, in a car, where he was totally caged and he much preferred the van.

We still terribly miss his company now when away but it did have its draw backs, we tended to carry all 2 months supplies of his food & litter and we made sure we were home each evening for him, we couldn’t leave him dried food due to a gum disease he had which meant he only had wet food. I used to also fully hoover the van carpeted area and seats every day to remove his hairs and as he was often cold we always travelled with the carpets down and the heating on more than we would need it for just us. We also tended to camp on sites where we felt it less likely the van would get broken into and running tge risk of him getting outside in fear in a strange place.

The heigh temps in Spain were not a problem, we just took all precautions possible to keep him as cool as we could and hydrated. He passed at the age of 15, quite old for his pedigree, and we can honestly say he had a fantastic life travelling or living in Spain with us before then.

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[bobnick]

We had a cat in 1973 called Sammy. It would only eat hard boiled eggs and boiled ham. It left home one weekend never to be seen again.

 

[Guigsy]

Took Archie and Baxter away with us for a week in Norfolk. It got to over 30C a few times, but with blinds closed and the Maxxfan running, it stayed much more comfortable inside. We had them out in the awning lots, sometimes for hours at a time, but always on a leash. They didn't seem that interested in escaping.

 

[CamperJack]

Campervibe on YouTube have videos on taking cats away. Their cat is called Summer. They started by going on short, overnight trips. I think they took it to Europe too!

We take our little dog. He sleeps in his cage, which he loves. It makes him feel safe anywhere. In the next redesign I'll be incorporting a space for it under the seating. ATM it goes on top of the seat, meaning we have nowhere to sit!

 

[Guigsy]

Oh, we found a solution to the fact that Baxter hated travelling. In the carrier, he'd panic, pee and poop, and try to dig himself out to the point he broke a claw and was bleeding.

The solution... put him in his harness and attach him to my wife's seatbelt with a bungee lead and let him sit on her lap. He'll sleep there for hours. Only issue is that she can't wriggle and her legs go dead after a while. But the cat is happy, and that's the important thing.

She tried sitting in the back with him. He was more restless. Without telling me, she let him go on the floor on a lead... It goes quiet in the back, so I carry on driving. After an hour, I notice my elbow is tickling. Baxter is sprawled across my armrest next to me and his whiskers are touching my arm. I don't think Mr Plod would be too happy with this arrangement though. No, it won't happen again.